Mortal Kombat Conquest: Speed of Light
by Omega Ravon
Summary: A continuation of the final episode of Mortal Kombat Conquest, the TV show based on the game. If you haven't seen the show, oh well. If you have, you probably know what's going on!


In the dank cell in Shao Kahn's palace, the thunder god of Earth-realm, Raiden, sat alone. He was god only in name, no longer in power. His presence in Outworld nullified all of the abilities granted him by the Elder Gods, so now he but a mortal.

Every day since Shao Kahn defeated him, the emperor had brought him out into his throne room and beaten him within an inch of his life. His priests would heal his wounds so that he would not be killed when Shao Kahn did it again the next day.

The heavy iron door that led into the prison creaked open. It was that time again. Raiden sighed and stood to his feet. Best to get it over with, until the emperor was bored with him. Then he could do something about it. The shadow priests padded quietly up to Raiden's cell, placed the ornate key into the lock, and stopped.

Raiden was confused. Why would they stop? "Hello?" he said loudly. "Aren't you going to open the door and drag me into your master's throne room?"

"They cannot hear you," came a soft voice from behind the thunder god. Raiden slowly turned around and saw that he was no longer alone in his cell. From out of the shadows in the corner of his cell came a humanoid, about Raiden's height, dressed in black. His face was covered with a black cloth mask, but Raiden could see that his head was shaved in the traditional Chinese fashion, with a long queue in back.

The thunder god turned around to face the shadow priests and poked one with his index finger. He didn't move.

"They are not aware of you, Lord Raiden, or the passage of time," said the man.

Raiden turned to him. "Time?" he said. "You mean you've stopped time?"

The man nodded his head. "Yes. For now."

"Why?"

The stranger took a deep breath. "Because I need to speak with you."

"Go right ahead," Raiden said. "This is the first time I haven't been mocked in weeks."

The man smiled. "I shall first introduce myself. I am Xian Feng, a sorcerer."

"I gathered the sorcerer bit, but you must have a god's blood in you if you can control time."

Feng shook his head. "I am not human. I come from a long-forgotten realm destroyed by Shao Kahn millennia ago. My people were great sorcerers and fighters, and we had the ability to travel through realms. We nearly defeated Kahn, if it were not for the Elder God Shinnok. He gave Kahn powers that he never should have had, and we were all but destroyed.

"The first Shadow Priests were from my realm, and I believe than one or two are still left."

"I always wondered where they came from," Raiden said, leaning against the cell and crossing his arms, "but that doesn't explain why you're here."

"I lived in Edenia for many centuries before Kahn took control of it. That realm was so beautiful, it crushed what was left of my heart to see it devastated. Earth-realm is even more beautiful than Edenia, and so I will not allow it to be destroyed."

Raiden nodded his head. "But Shao Kahn already has control."

"_Now, _yes," Feng said cryptically, "but _not_ in the past."

"You can alter the course of events?"

Feng nodded. "Yes. I can travel back in time and prevent Kahn's attacks, his assassinations of Earth-realms greatest fighters."

"The Elder Gods have forbidden time-travel," Raiden said, confusion ringing in his voice.

Feng nodded again. "Yes, they have, but I have moved behind their backs for thousands of years, and I know many incriminating things that Shinnok would not dare to have revealed. He will make them look away while I do this."

Raiden laughed. "So a rogue sorcerer can save Earth-realm?" There was silence. "Why do you come to me? Why not just do it?"

"I need to know who I can bring back to help stop the shadow priests from killing the fighters," said Feng. "You know more about this realm than I."

It was Raiden's turn to nod. "There are few, shall we say, _honorable_ fighters left," he began, "but there are some that you may be able to convince."

Raiden gave the sorcerer his advice, and the man stepped back into the shadows. The shadow priests unlocked the door, took hold of the thunder god and led him to the throne room.

***

Reptile's camp was in ruins. There were shadow priests and Kahn's guards everywhere, killing whoever they could find. A shadow pooled and Feng stepped out of it. This was the first place that Raiden told him to go, to find Sharax, Reptile's second-in-command. As the sorcerer made his way through the destruction, he was spotted by a group of guards.

"Get him!" they yelled, and Feng was charged. The sorcerer did what he did best. He had not sat idle through the millennia. He had devoted much of his time not only to the study of sorcery, but to martial arts training, as well. The guards didn't stand a chance.

When Feng fought, he manipulated time, making everything around him slow down considerably, while he was able to move normally. Feng split-kicked the two guards in front, and when he landed, he dealt a spinning jump-kick to the backs of both their heads. This all happened in less than a second. Feng attacked the next closest one with an immensely powerful sidekick, blasting him back several yards. The other two did not know what was going on, so they simply guarded. It made them even easier targets that the first three.

Feng spun, dealing a vicious hook-kick to the backs of a guard's knees, and while he was floating, kicked him in the back, launching him up into the air. Feng dealt the next one a swift elbow to the stomach, and while he was ever so slowly leaning forward, uppercutted him in the chin, floating him in the air. While he was hovering, the sorcerer performed a sidekick to his stomach, sending him rocketing into a rock-face.

Feng continued on his way, looking for Sharax. It didn't take long. He was the only one fighting with seven guards and a shadow priest. He was truly an amazing fighter, but he would soon fall. The sorcerer sped into the fray, dealt a spinning jump-kick to three of the guards' faces, knocking them back, then waited to see what the others would do.

Sharax stopped, wondering who this was that had stepped up to help him. There was a blur, and the other four guards were on their backs, unconscious. Feng returned to his side. The shadow priests were shocked. They had never seen anybody do that before. They joined hands and cast an extremely powerful spell at Feng and Sharax.

The Zaterran dodged to the side, but the ancient sorcerer simply caught the magic blast in his hands and absorbed it. In another blur, he dashed forward and struck with the heels of his hand, aimed up, so the priest rose high up into the air. As he descended, Feng jumped to meet him and aimed a lethally powerful right cross to his head. The dead priest spent the rest of his journey to the ground performing 360-degree rotations.

The second shadow priest was unsure of what to do. He could not back down, but this sorcerer/fighter would strike him down in an instant. He turned to Sharax and attacked. He suddenly felt a bone-crushing blow to his shins, found himself falling face-first to the ground, then felt a pair of fists help him along.

Sharax shook his head. "Who are you?" he asked incredulously.

"My name is Xian Feng," he said. "I am a sorcerer. I can take you back in time to help your general and prevent Shao Kahn's victory. All you must do is come with me."

Sharax thought for a moment. "What if you're lying?"

"If you come with me, you might die. If you stay here, you certainly will." Feng held his hand out.

The logic agreed with the Zaterran, and he took the sorcerer's hand.

***

Zhu Zin was burning. Monsters and guards from Outworld had infested the streets and killed without prejudice. From a shadow stepped Feng, accompanied by Sharax.

"You must follow closely," Feng said. "Even if you see the guards killing someone, you must not go and help. I will need everyone's help if we are to be successful."

Sharax nodded and followed. They came to a gate, which had not been touched yet, and Feng pulled it open. They wandered down the dark tunnels for a few minutes, until they came to a fork.

"Stay here," Feng commanded, and he ran down the left path, using his magic-assisted speed. He returned a few seconds later, and raced down the right path. After a few more seconds, he returned. "Go down the right path, and I'll tell you which way to go at the next fork." With that, he blazed back through the tunnel.

Sharax jogged as quickly as he could after him, but listened carefully for anything following them. He came to the fork and saw an arrow pointing him down the correct path. He jogged down that one, too, until he came to another iron gate. It was open, and Feng was standing in the middle of a large chamber, the floor rendered invisible by the thick fog. Standing before him was a man dressed completely in black, as a ninja, with a mask covering everything except his eyes. He seemed to be covered in oil.

"Why should I help you?" he said. "All I have to do is wait for things to quiet down, then I'll mop up."

Feng argued, "If Shao Kahn takes over Earth-realm, he will eventually find you and destroy you. If you come with me, you can fight against him, prevent him from achieving this victory. If not, Kahn may win."

"How did this happen in the first place?" the black-clad man asked.

"Kahn was able to send his priests to kill the best fighters in the realm," Feng explained. "Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Reptile were killed, as were Kung Lao and his friends, Siro and Taja. They were Earth-realm's only hope at survival."

The man thought for awhile. "I will do as you ask if you are able to defeat me."

Sharax laughed. "Good luck. He destroyed seven of Shao Kahn's guards and two shadow priests right in front of me."

"Actually it was twelve guards and two shadow priests," Feng said, "but that's not important. I will defeat you, Noob Saibot, if you so desire. But we waste precious time in doing so."

The black ninja nodded and took up his fighting stance. Feng simply stood there and beckoned. Saibot attacked, dealing a roundhouse kick to Feng's head, but he was out of the way, dealing a powerful counterattack to the other's stomach. Saibot gasped and nearly collapsed, but was able to recover, setting his hand on the floor and rolling towards Feng, swinging his foot downwards as he completed his last roll.

Feng was gone again, and he dealt a powerful punch to the back of his head.

"We have no time for this!" the sorcerer shouted. "If you attack again, it will be the last time."

Saibot roared and charged, dealing out four consecutive spin-kicks. Feng dodged behind him and waited for the ninja's face to come around. When it did, he punched him square in the middle of his face, stunning him, then landing a punch to his chest, launching him into the wall. Saibot staggered to his feet.

"Will you come now?" Feng asked. Saibot nodded rubbing his face. "Then come."

***

The forest was probably the most quiet place near Zhu Zin. Night had fallen, but it was prime traveling time for the ex-Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero heard everything going on in Zhu Zin, and had gone to see if he could help Kung Lao, but he were nowhere to be found. So the ninja returned to the forest to get as far away from Shao Kahn as he could.

There was a rustling sound near the ninja and he stopped. A sharp hiss and a familiar screech came from his right.

"GET OVER HERE!" came a loud shout from the forest. Sub-Zero moved out of the just in time to see Scorpion's living dragon-headed spear rocket towards him. It looped back and attacked Sub-Zero again. As it approached, the former Lin Kuei warrior launched a blast of cold energy toward it, freezing it. There was a loud cry from the forest, and Sub-Zero yanked hard on the snake. His nemesis stumbled out of the woods, and the ice ninja catapulted toward him, landing a flying sidekick to his face.

Scorpion recovered quickly and leapt to his feet, but was instantly aware of the pain coming from his right hand. In that moment, Sub-Zero took his chance and attacked. First he dealt a roundhouse kick to Scorpion's head, then a punch to his chest, then a spin-kick into his face. Scorpion fell to the ground, and knew that he would have to do something about his hand.

He whipped it, shattering the frozen part against a tree. The rest of it retreated back into his body, but he was still in considerable pain. He got to his feet, and found Sub-Zero's fist bearing down upon him. As swiftly as he could, he parried the punch, but couldn't deflect the follow-up chop to his head. He did his best to recover, but Sub-Zero fought furiously.

As the ice ninja's foot connected with his face again, Scorpion made a mental note to not use his spear as his first attack, especially since Sub-Zero was ready for it. Scorpion fell into a tree, and Sub-Zero hurled an ice-ball at him, but Scorpion teleported away. The tree was instantly frozen, and collapsed. Sub-Zero erected a wall of ice in front of him to protect against the flying shards of bark and branch.

There was a yell behind him, and the ice-ninja turned once second too late. Scorpion landed both feet on Sub-Zero's chest, knocking him into the wall, and as he bounced off, fell forward, where Scorpion was lying, ready for this exact moment. He straightened out both feet and kicked him back into the wall.

Sub-Zero managed to roll off to the side as Scorpion jumped back to his feet. He tried to attack the ice-ninja while he was down, but Sub-Zero kicked out, bringing his right foot across Scorpion's head. Sub-Zero rolled backwards, to his feet, and braced himself for Scorpion's inevitable barrage of punches and kicks. His hands snapped up to block the attacks, but one kick got through, knocking him back. Scorpion bridged the distance between them with a jump, and as he came down, punched him in the head. Sub-Zero stumbled back, and blocked Scorpion's next kick, but didn't expect his opponent to grab him around the waist.

Scorpion lifted Sub-Zero and sent him over his shoulder. The ice-ninja landed as best he could, but the ground was very hard, and he wasn't in a position to do a breakfall. As soon as Scorpion released Sub-Zero he turned around and swung his leg up, prepared to bring his heel crashing down onto Sub-Zero's face.

The ice-ninja's arms came up and crossed over his face, blocking the lethal attack, and pushed it to the side, giving him a moment to stand up. Scorpion knew his opponent wasn't in a defensible position, so he attacked again. All Sub-Zero could do was hold his arms over his face and take the kicks that were aimed in that vicinity. Anything else connected as full strength.

Scorpion wrapped his right arm around Sub-Zero's left, turned, and tripped him, and brought him to the ground. He dealt a severe punch to Sub-Zero's face, leaving him dazed. Scorpion punched his chest once more for a longer stun, then took a few steps back. He ran forward, then jumped, to land on Sub-Zero's ribcage and finally kill him.

There was the sound of rushing air, and Scorpion received one of the hardest kicks he had ever felt. He went flying back into a tree, gasping for air. Feng stood over Sub-Zero, who was resigned to death. Sub-Zero rolled back to his feet and looked around. Scorpion was nowhere to be seen.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Xian Feng," said the sorcerer. "You must come with me."

Sub-Zero stood perfectly still. "What?"

Feng looked squarely at the ice-ninja's eyes. "If you don't come, Kung Lao, Siro, and Taja will die again."

Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes. "Again? What do you mean?"

"I mean they are already dead. Killed by Shao Kahn's shadow priests. I can take you back through time to save them."

"What proof do I have of this?"

"None," replied Feng. "But I can tell you this: If we succeed, and Kung Lao lives to fight again, Shao Kahn will not achieve victory."

Sub Zero shook his head. "I suppose I don't have anything better to do." He followed the sorcerer into the woods.

***

The lights were on in the small hut out in the middle of the woods. The sorceress, Omegis, was inside, working on her potions. The old man sat on the ground watching the stars, wondering if she would be calling him inside anytime soon. He really hated being there, but they had a deal. If He would rid her of immortality, she would allow him to kill Shang Tsung.

The old man stood up to practice, when he heard a sound. He looked in the direction it came from, and saw a man approaching, wearing all black.

"Who are you?" asked the old man.

"Surely you recognize me," said Feng, "old friend."

The old man squinted and frowned. "I wouldn't use those terms, Xian Feng. I thought I was rid of you centuries ago."

"You were," Feng replied. "But now I'm back. I need your help."

"_My_ help?" the old man said. "What are you talking about? Shao Kahn is taking over Earth-realm, Kung Lao is dead, and Raiden is gone. There is nothing to help."

"I have learned more than you can imagine in past centuries, Cho," Feng said. "I can take us back in time to save Kung Lao and his friends, prevent Khan from taking over this realm."

"Time?" Cho was shocked. "You did what we tried _so_ hard to do? How?"

"I can't say right now," said Feng, "but I will if you come with me."

"Very well," Cho said. "But not for _you_, and certainly not for Kung Lao. I am going to prevent Shao Kahn from wiping out my world."

Feng nodded. "Come, then."

They both walked back into the woods, and shadows enveloped them.


End file.
